Maylora
by Mistress-KaTai
Summary: What would you do if you were from America, your father died, and now your being led around a giant castle by a hot blonde from Slytherin? And to top it all off, you made friends with the Golden Trio and you're a closet Parselmouth? Not HBP compatible
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One-

Maylora R. Branch sat on the balcony, looking out over the busy city of London. The whispering wind made her long, scarlet hair dance around her face. She watched a family of four- a mother, father, and two small girls, walking on the streets below and laughing together, like a real family. The older of the two girls smiled and took her father's hand. They began to swing their arms happily. Maylora couldn't help but think of her own father, and how she would never again even be able to smile at him, much less hold his hand. She continued to watch as the man smiled down at his daughter, and she heard him faintly whisper "I love you." Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"May?" her mother's voice made her breath catch. "Come on, honey. It's time to go."

Maylora nodded so that her mother would know that she had been heard. She turned her head and wiped away a single tear as it fell, then stood and entered the hotel room to gather her things. As she went to pick up her suitcase, she noticed that one of her bags way empty.

"Where's Lucifer?" she asked no one in particular, scanning the tiny hotel room for any sign of her pet.

"I think I saw him slithering around under your bed a minute ago," her mother said. Maylora proceeded to lie on the floor next to the bed, pulling up the bed skirt so that she could see clearly under it.

"Lucifer?" she called in a singsong voice. "There you are, you naughty little boy." Maylora reached under the bed towards Lucifer, grabbed him around the middle, and pulled the six foot Python towards her. He wrapped himself around her wrist, still clutched in her fist, so that about the last foot of his body hung in the air. She held the snake up to her face, and he slid another inch or so through her relaxed hand to rub his smooth head on her cheek. When he slid the last bit to reach her face, a large lump in his belly moved trough Maylora's hand.

"_Lucifer, haven't I told you not to eat grubby rats in dismal places like this? I would have fed you in little over an hour." _Maylora hissed in Parseltongue.

"_I was hungry. And you would have forgotten, anyway. You've been very…detached since we left America." _Lucifer hissed back. He pulled back his head and looked into Maylora's emerald eyes with his own, almost identical ones. "_and you know you would have."_

Maylora sighed as she looked back into Lucifer's eyes, 'you know me too well.' she thought. Lucifer had been her companion for three years now, ever since she had discovered her gift with snakes. He knew everything about her. Besides her father, Lucifer had been the only one who really knew her, and had been her only friend.

"_I'm so sorry, Lu. I'm so sorry, it's just.."_

" _I know. Now shhh, and put me back into my prison so we can be on our way." _Maylora smiled at his remark, and then lowered him gently into the travel bag that her mother had purchased specially for the trip to England.

"Ready?" Mrs. Branch looked at her daughter and smiled weakly. She hadn't understood what had been said between Maylora and Lucifer, but she knew well enough not to ask.

"Lets go." Maylora picked up her suitcase and Lucifer's travel bag, then followed her mother down the stairs and out the door of the hotel to the waiting cab outside.

* * *

Maylora walked down the long corridor of the Hogwarts express, Lucifer's travel bag in hand. She finally came to the end of the train, and found the only empty compartment. Being new, she felt slightly anti-social, and didn't want to intrude upon anyone else. She slid the door open and walked inside, then sat next to the window, Lucifer and his case in her lap. Before long, the compartment door slid open, revealing two boys and a girl, all appearing to be about Maylora's age. One boy had untidy, flaming red hair, much like Maylora's, except that her's was neat and straight. His nose and cheeks were splashed with small freckles. The other boy had untidy hair as well, but his was a much darker shade- black. The girl had a small dusting of freckles across her nose, much smaller than the splash across the boy's face. Her hair was long, laying in ringlets over her shoulders, and golden brown. The boys just stared at Maylora for a second or two.

"Boys, don't be rude." the girl pushed past her companions. "I'm sorry, I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ronald Weasly and Harry Potter." she pointed to the boys accordingly. "May we share this compartment with you?"

"Of course." Maylora smiled as the trio came in, Harry closing the door behind them. The boys sat across from her, Harry by the window, and Hermione sat in the seat next to her.

"I'm Maylora Branch. Um….if you don't mind my asking, what year are you all in?"

"We are in sixth year, and we don't mind at all." Hermione smiled as she answered, "You're new to the school, right?"

"Great!!! Yeah, I'm new. I'm supposed to be in sixth year as well."

"Really? How did that happen?" Ron asked.

"It's kind of a long story, so I'll try to make it short. I transferred from Salem Witchcraft Academy in America. My mother and I met with Dumbledore during the summer and arranged the transfer. He said that I had talent, so I would be put into sixth year, and the prefect from the house I'm put in will help me throughout the year. They will be helping me catch up with everything and practically go everywhere with me for the first semester."

"Really? That's interesting. Do you know what house you're in?" Harry entered the conversation.

"Yeah. Slytherin. What house are y'all in?" Maylora watched the trio's eyebrows raise as she said it.

"Gryffindor." they answered in unison.

"Oh. Is Slytherin bad?" just as Maylora finished her question, the compartment door slid open again. This time, it revealed a tall, slim but muscular boy with white blonde hair. Maylora's emerald eyes met with his cool silver ones for an instant. The boy began to say something, but paused, and a strange look passed over his face, then vanished. 'Wow…he's…' Maylora thought.

"Miss Branch, you are needed in the front compartment. I am to escort you." Blondie never even glanced at the other three in the compartment. His silver eyes studied Maylora in the seconds that her emerald ones studied him. The trio looked at each other curiously. 'What is wrong with him?' Hermione thought. 'He hasn't even so much as snickered at us.'

"Miss Branch?" Blondie made her name a question.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you guys later." Maylora smiled at the three she had just met and followed the handsome boy into the corridor. He turned to her after taking a few steps away from the compartment.

"You'll need to change into your robes before we arrive. The bathroom is just down here."

"Thank you, um…what was your name?" Maylora tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. I am the Slytherin house prefect, and I will be helping you throughout the year." Now she could put a name to the gorgeous blonde hair and stunning silver eyes. And it suited him well, she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

"Is it alright if I keep Lucifer with me? I need to make sure that he behaves. He is known for causing trouble," Maylora inquired as she placed her trunk with the mound of the sixth-years' things.

"Certainly. Just don't let anyone know you have him with you. He may startle some." Draco eyed the bag that contained the hissing animal. He didn't seem to be happy about being locked away. Maylora looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before hissing to her snake,

"_Lucifer. You know I can't trust you to stay out of trouble. Show me you can, and maybe I'll cut you some slack, But I know EXACTLY what you would do if I left you here._."

"Miss Branch, we need to go. Everyone has made it up to the carriages." Draco turned and took a few steps in the direction of their destination. When he didn't hear Maylora's footsteps following him, he turned his head to look back at her. "Miss Branch?"

_Why can't he just call me by my first name? It's not like this is formal or anything. It's just school. Right? _Maylora thought as she followed Draco up the path to the carriages, Lucifer's travel bag in hand.

* * *

"Wha…" Maylora eyed the strange creature hooked to the carriage that Mr. Draco Malfoy had led her to. "What _is_ that?" Draco turned toward her, his eyebrow raised.

"You can see them?"

"_See_ them? Why _wouldn't_ I see them? _It_, rather." Maylora looked at the creature warily.

"It's called a Thestral. Now, come. We need to get up to the castle." Draco walked the short distance to their awaiting carriage and proceeded to hold open the door for Maylora. After he had closed the door and taken the seat across from her, Lucifer and his travel bag sitting in her lap, the carriage lurched forward.

"Now will you please answer my question?" Draco just looked at Maylora. "Why wouldn't I be able to see the Thestral?" She pressed.

"Because you have to witness a death to see them." Draco replied simply. Maylora turned to look out the small carriage window.

"Oh." Memories flooded Maylora's mind, threatening to pull her below the surface of sanity. Her father's smiling face, then his burned and mangled body laying at her feet on the floor. She continued to gaze out the window, not really seeing what was outside. A tear snaked its way down her cheek, then dripped from her chin and landed on the top of Lucifer's case. Draco glanced at her, then turned to look out his own window.

_Look at her. She's hurting. Comfort her._

_NO! She can handle her problems on her own. It would show I care to comfort her. I DO NOT CARE._

_Yes you do. You know you do._

_No, I don't. _Draco silently cursed himself for even thinking about showing compassion towards someone he hardly knew. Or showing compassion at all, for that matter. He didn't even show compassion to those he DID know. He surely wouldn't to an almost complete stranger.

Maylora jerked out of her memories as the carriage came to a halt at the castle stairs. She wiped away the trail that the single tear had left behind, then looked at Draco.

"Lets go." Draco exited the carriage, then stood to the side and helped Maylora down. Her eyes scanned the outside of the castle, her chin inclining the slightest bit as she looked all the way to the tallest tower. Her mouth opened in amazement.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Now, lets go. The sorting will begin soon." Draco proceeded to walk up the stars and into the castle. Maylora didn't follow until she realized he had already disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Now, as you all know, the forbidden forest is, well, forbidden. It is off limits to every student except those accompanied by a teacher for a specific reason. This being said, I come to the end of my speech. Aside from one thing. We have a new sixth year student," Professor Dumbledore looked to Maylora sitting at the Slytherin table as he said this. "Her name is Maylora Branch. She has come from a private Witchcraft school in America. I trust that each and every one of you will treat her respectfully, and not ask too many silly questions. I also trust that you who befriend her will help her to learn our ways of living, and with any lessons that she does not understand. Now, enjoy the feast."

As Dumbledore finished, platters of delicious looking food of all shapes and sizes seemed to pop right out of the table, astonishing Maylora. While everyone else dug in, she just stared at the food curiously.

"Well, eat." Draco chuckled as her expression. She just looked at him sideways.

"It's safe?" she glanced uneasily at the food. But it did look delicious.

"Why would they give us food that wasn't safe? It's a school." Draco rolled his eyes as Maylora picked out something that looked yummy. Not that everything didn't look appetizing. As she bit into a juicy turkey leg, a smooth head rubbed the side of her leg. Maylora glanced down to see Lucifer trying to slither out of his case and up her leg. Quickly, she bent down and grabbed him round the head.

"_Lucifer, NO! you can't come out of your case. You could freak the whole lot of people around us. And you just ate a few hours ago. Nothing more until tomorrow_." she whispered to her pet as she put him back into his case.

"What's going on?" Draco looked at Maylora accusingly.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." Maylora smiled at his scowl.

"That thing better not get out." Draco turned back to his own meal, then began conversing again with two pompous boys across the table.

* * *

Maylora made her way to the Slytherin common room with the other sixth years, then began following the other girls to their dormitory. Draco watched her as she began ascending the stairs.

_Talk to her. _

"Miss Branch?" _There he goes again with my name. It's getting annoying. _Draco opened, then closed his mouth as her beautiful emerald eyes met his silver ones. He studied her slightly angular features and long scarlet hair.

_She's…beautiful. _

Maylora looked at Draco quizzically. _Well, say something, dumb ass. _

"Are you going to say something or just stand there staring at me like I'm the first girl you've ever seen?" Draco blinked quickly.

"Would…would you meet me in the common room? Since we will be seeing a lot of each other, I think we should talk a bit and find out about each other. At least in a small amount."

It was Maylora's turn to blink quickly. _Blondie wants to talk to me? In the common room? Do you really want to get to know him? He's gorgeous…but doesn't seem to have the best character. But he's gorgeous…_

"I'll be down in 10 minutes." Maylora gave a small smile as she turned and finished walking up the stairs to the dormitory. Draco smiled to himself as he watched her leave.

_What are you thinking? Are you going to let a filthy American girl bring down your guard? That's what will happen. _

_No, I'm not. I'm just talking to her. That's it. To find out about her, make sure she's not going to interfere with me. _

_Yeah, right. _

_Why does he want to talk to me, anyway? He's probably just trying to snoop around and find out about my personal life. Uhg. _Maylora set Lucifer's bag down on her bed and undid the top, ignoring the other girls in the room.

"_I'm going with you. He's a filthy ball of slime. I don't like him." _Lucifer demanded.

"_I wouldn't have it any other way." _Maylora smiled as Lucifer wound around her arm and slithered so that his head rested on her shoulder.


End file.
